After an underwhelming start to the season, the Boston Red Sox may be in a position to buy at the trade deadline. A commanding sweep of the Washington Nationals has brought them back to .500 and the MLB-worst Colorado Rockies follow on the schedule.
Boston has quite a few needs it could address at the deadline, from another front-of-the-rotation starter to bullpen depth to a power bat. MLB insider Bob Nightengale named the Red Sox as an ideal fit for Cleveland Guardians slugger and first baseman Carlos Santana.
Santana signed a one-year deal with the Guardians, his third stint with the club, this offseason. His expiring deal makes him a true rental for teams in the race and an easy trade piece for Cleveland, which has fallen to eight games below .500 after a brutal 10-game losing streak dating back to June 26. If the Guardians continue to fall down the American League Central standings, they could become sure-fire sellers.
Santana, 39, is a switch-hitter and a 16-year MLB veteran with nine series of playoff experience. He's slashing .235/.329/.363 with seven doubles and 10 homers over 82 games. He could be a solid depth option for Boston, but its preexisting first base options have been far better than most anticipated this season.
MLB insider Bob Nightengale links Red Sox to Guardians' Carlos Santana ahead of trade deadline
GRAND SLAM ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEBUT!
— MLB (@MLB) June 11, 2025
15 years later, Carlos Santana is still crushing! pic.twitter.com/eE8bLpk7qY
Abraham Toro and Romy Gonzalez have helped the Red Sox stay afloat offensively during Triston Casas' season-long absence. Toro is, by far, the biggest surprise of the two, as he's a career .229/.292/.364 hitter. Boston has brought the best out of him, though, as he's slashing .294/.343/.450 with 10 doubles and five homers over 47 games. He's also made a fair few impressive plays at first base, despite his negative three outs above average.
Gonzalez is posting the best year of his career in his second season with the Red Sox. He's batting .323/.356/.532 with 15 doubles, a triple, three homers and 24 RBI in 37 games. He's posted similar defensive numbers to Toro with negative two outs above average, and Santana has them both beat with six outs above average and years of experience at first base.
But despite another year of rotten defense, offense is among Boston's main concerns. Toro and Gonzalez have far exceeded expectations at the plate, and they're among the Sox's most consistent bats when they're in the lineup. Santana's defense and decade-plus of experience could help the Red Sox make it to the postseason, but they should prioritize quality pitching ahead of the trade deadline.